Drogba was mobbed by Chinese fans as he arrived for his Shanghai Shenhua presentation. Fans appeared in the early hours of the morning at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, many dressed in the club's blue jersey bearing "Drogba 11".

Drogba has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club for a reported salary of $300,000 a week, ending weeks of speculation on his future after he announced his decision to leave Champions League winners Chelsea.

"I decided to come here because when the club and the president approached me, I looked at the project and it came with ambitious ideas and he wants to … help football develop in China," Drogba told reporters after his unveiling. "I know China is a great sports country so for me it was also a big challenge because it could have been easy for me to stay in Europe and go to another team, another big team.

"Really, I didn't come here with the idea of making a lot of money. I come here because it is a completely different challenge from what I have seen in Europe before. And that's the idea, there are many challenges but this one is a big one."